Zelgadis Inverse
by Earth Star
Summary: An AU drabble series, what if instead of being raised by Rezo, Zelgadis had been adopted by Lina's family?
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any of these characters, and I don't wish to make a profit from this story.

Author's Note: This is basically going to be a series of drabbles and one shot set in the idea of what would have happened if Zel had been taken in by Lina's family and was raised as her brother. There's no overall plot to this story right now, but there might be one later especially regarding what will happen when Zel and Lina encounter Rezo. Till then, I hope you enjoy these drabbles I'm having far too much fun to write.

The Beginning

It had all happened so fast. It was unreal. Rezo could still feel the heat of the flames on his skin. How had it come to this? He merely came to talk to his grandson and his wife, to persuade them to continue to help him as they had before. Jacque had disappeared so suddenly. He wasn't himself when Rezo had broken that seal on the temple and accidently caused an earthquake in the town at the foot of the mountain. Fifty people were injured and five were killed. Rezo knew the incident bothered him, but Rezo never imagined that Jacque and Maria to leave without telling him where they went. He had to find them, Jacque and Maria were two of the few people he could truly count on, the only family he had left.

It took a year, but Rezo found the couple at last. They were living in a simple log cabin in the forest. He was shocked to find that the pair was now a trio. Maria had named the baby Zelgadis, an odd name, but the girl had always held odd tastes.

The argument went so fast. Jacque revealed that he and Maria no longer felt safe, especially when Maria found out she was pregnant. "You're becoming too obsessed!" Jacque yelled. "You risked that entire village for one spell. How do I know you won't risk us?" He squeezed Rezo's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but you're scaring us granddad and I have a wife and child to protect."

Anger fanned inside Rezo. Jacque made him sound like he was an insane murderer. Rezo yelled and called Jacque unpleasant things. Maria tried to calm them down, but neither of them would listen. Rezo shouted how he never should expected Jacque to understand what it felt like to not see the world around you.

Jacque grabbed him by the shoulders. "This isn't about your sight granddad, this is about you turning into a monster!"

Something dark and cold snapped inside Rezo. It was a force he couldn't control. Magic was cast. He felt flames spark and consume the wood around him. Maria screamed. Jacque yelled to grab the baby. It become hot as an oven but Rezo continued to chant his magic. It was the sound of Jacque crying out, and wood snapping that woke Rezo from his dark daze. He yelled for Jacque, but there was no answer. Rezo heard more wood crack and realized the house was falling apart.

Quickly, Rezo cast a wind spell and blew out the blaze. He panted as the flames were wiped out. He knelt to the floor, reaching to the spot where he had heard Jacque scream. He found a hand, but though it was slightly warm he felt no pulse.

He called for Maria, but there was no answer. Rezo used his magic to scry for her presence, but she and the baby were gone. During his fury, she must have taken the baby and run out of the burning house.

Rezo now stood outside the freshly burnt remains of the house. He felt numb inside. The scent of charcoal stung his nose. He gripped his staff and the rings gently clanged. "I'm not a monster, I'm simply following my own path." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I wonder where Maria and the baby went?"

Elsewhere, a wagon pulled by a donkey bumped its way along the road. The wild flowers and weeds growing in the middle were strong hints to Raulf that hardly anyone used this short cut. "Granted," he muttered out loud. "Most sane people would take the main road to Zefielia and not take a shady short cut through the woods."

He sighed. Raulf only learned about this short cut from eavesdropping on the old men in the bar. Normally, he would take the easier option, but he was supposed to be home the day before yesterday. The more time it took to get home, the more time Lana would have to find the biggest frying pan to hit him with.

"Why did I marry such a violent woman?" he grumbled. "I hope Luna doesn't inherit that side of her, but I doubt Lady Luck is with me on that. Women tend to stick together."

The cart suddenly halted. Raulf had to brace himself to stop from falling forward. "Hey, Daisy, what's the hold up?"

His faithful donkey twitched her ears and stared ahead. Raulf removed the piece of straw he been chewing. Daisy would ignore most things and pretend she was the only living being in the world. It was unusual for her to suddenly stop in the road like this, unless danger or food was involved.

He looked towards the trees. He saw no sign of bandits or an ambush, but his old mercenary training kicked in. Something wasn't right. He could sense it in his gut. Raulf took his sword and went into the forest. He heard breathing, and the person was worn out just from achieving that. He listen carefully, it sounded female. A woman?

He saw a glimpse of a hand and a pair of bare feet behind a tree. "Hello?" He called out. He didn't want to frighten her if she was injured. There was no answer. Concerned even more, Raulf went around the tree trunk. His eyes widened.

The woman was horribly burned like she had been dropped into a tub of boiling oil. Her feet and hands were covered in scratches and dried blood. Her clothes were scorched and small sparks lingered in her hair. She laid on her back, clutching a wrapped bundle to her chest for dear life.

Her breathing slowed for a moment. Fearing she was dead, he yelled and reached for her shoulder.

"Hey! Wake up!" He was relieved when the woman opened her eyes. She seemed fearful, and Raulf suddenly remembered his sword and dropped it. She calmed and let Raulf put his arm around her shoulders and leaned against the tree.

The woman's breathing seemed to grow worse as she sat up, but she still clutching the small bundle to her chest like it would vanish if she let go. Raulf wrapped his cape around her shoulders. The burns he could see on her bared arms and legs made him sick. Who would do this to a woman? "Hang in there," he told her. "I'll carry you to the next village-"

"My baby," the woman panted.

Raulf blinked in shock. "Baby?"

She held out the bundle in her arm and pushed it against his chest. The warmth from it surprised Raulf as he took it. He unwrapped the cloth and sucked air between his teeth. A squirming baby stared back at him. The child had a thin layer of blue hair on his head. Unlike the woman, he had no burns or scratches.

Raulf's fury increased tenfold. He could only conclude that the mother had used her body to shield the baby from the flames from whoever attacked her. It was sinful enough to attack a woman, but to attack a young mother and her child? That was the work of a monster with no heart. Raulf knew he would kill anyone that tried to pull that stunt with his family.

"Zelgadis." The woman's voice brought Raulf's attention back. She had leaned back against the tree. "His name is Zelgadis." Tears ran down her cheeks. "Please, protect my son."

Raulf sucked air between his teeth again. She was dying, and they both knew it. He gently reached for her hand, her fingers were already growing limp. "I promise."

The woman gave a frail smile as her eyes shut and her hand dropped from Raulf's hold. He bowed his head and and glanced down at the baby. The baby stared up and began to cry. Raulf gathered him up and hushed him. "Don't worry little guy," he smiled. "An Inverse always keeps his promise."

Night had fallen and Rezo had found no traces of Maria or or Zelgadis. He performed a modified version of the tracking spell to track her footprints, but to his surprise it led him to a fresh unmarked grave. There was no longer doubt that Maria was dead. Yet, there was still no sign of the baby. It was brief, but he made sure to use his magic recognize the baby's spirit, just as he had done with Jacque and Maria. While he could sense the traces of energy left behind from Maria's dying spirit, there was none of Zelgadis. The baby was not here. It was highly possible a wild animal had taken the baby for its supper. The chances of him being alive were slim.

Rezo showed no emotion as he swiftly turned away from Maria's grave. He was now truly alone.

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Lana poured the cup of tea and placed it in front of Raulf. "So, what did you do then?"

Raulf sniffed the sweet blend of tea and drank a mouthful, although he would have preferred a good cup of ale. "I buried her of course and then took the little guy with me here."

Lana glanced over to the basket the baby was currently set in. She had been ready to scold her husband for being four days late coming home. She had heard the door knob turn and seized her weapon that had been freshly cleaned and sitting on top of the stove. She had the frying pan in hand, but froze in midswing as Raulf yelled and exclaimed he was holding a baby with him. When she told him to bring her a souvenir, a baby was the last thing on her mind.

They still had Luna's old cradle, but it was in the storage shed and it was far too late to be digging it out. She was thankful Luna was sound sleep when Raulf came home. It would have been impossible to get her to go to sleep if she knew about the baby. She sat in the chair and leaned on her hands. "Didn't you think of looking for the baby's father?"

"From the way the woman was talking and the state she was in, it seemed safe to assume he was dead." Raulf's eyes hardened and he grasped the cup, letting it warm his cold fingers. "I did see smoke rising in the distance as I left the forest, but it gave me a bad feeling." He drummed his fingers against the porcelain. "I can't explain it, but something told me I had to get him out of there."

Lana wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I trust your judgement, you know I do, but now we need to decide what to do with him."

Raulf reached out and intertwined his fingers with Lana's long braid. "You mean either keeping him or finding him another home?"

"We do have our hands full with Luna and the shop." She gave a tired groan at the thought of chasing two children around the shop. "I'm not sure if I can handle another child yet."

Raulf tapped his chin. "We could give him to the Andersons."

Lana choked. "The Andersons? You can't be serious! They already have seven children."

"What about Judy? She just got married last year."

Lana's snorted in disgust. "The woman can't even boil water and you want to give her a baby?"

"The Smiths?"

"They're snobs."

"What about the Roberts?"

"I just hate them."

Raulf threw his hands up in the air. "Lana, you're being fair too picky-"

Zelgadis suddenly gave a cry from the basket. Lana patted Raulf's shoulder and scooped him up. "We'll discuss this later, poor little thing must be hungry. Have you been feeding him?"

Raulf rolled his eyes. "No darling, I let him wander outside at night so he can fend for himself like a cat." His hand reached to massage the knot out from his neck. He could use a long hot bath right now. "Why do you think I'm so late getting home? It took me forever to find milk for him at the next village and take enough with me. You're lucky I didn't just end up buying a goat to milk along the way."

Lana didn't appear to listen as her mother instincts began to take over. She held the baby with one arm and entered the kitchen. "I'm certain Luna's old bottle is here somewhere." She opened the cupboard door and scanned the inside. "Anyway, don't you think Leon or Sebastian would be a better name for him?"

Raulf put his feet on the table when Lana was out of sight. "Zelgadis was what his mother called him, I think we should respect that."

Lana sighed as she pulled out the jars from the cupboards. She stood on the tips of her toes to glance into the higher shelf "I know, but I don't think the poor woman realized what a terrible name that is."

"It's was his mother's dying wish!" Raulf shouted.

"No, it was for you to take care of him, not to let him keep a strange name. Hah! Here it is!" She pulled out the bottle and inspected it for cracks in the glass.

Raulf opened one eye. "Oh, so if anything happened to us, your spirit won't mind that Luna's name was changed to say Naga or Mary-sue?"

Lana entered the room and kicked Raulf's chair. "Feet off the table and fine you made your point." She went back into the kitchen. "But if someday our son asks why he has such a strange name you're taking the blame."

Raulf blinked. "Wait, he's our son now? What happened to discussing it?"

Raulf's question was tuned out by a hungry cry. Lana rocked and cooed Zelgadis. "Yes, yes, I know you're hungry. Just wait, Mama will get it."

Raulf shook his head and laughed quietly. "Must be mother bear instinct."


	2. Siblings For Sale

"Get your own servant for two gold coins!" Luna yelled on the side of the street. "He's small enough to fit into any cabinet that needs cleaning! Need to chase out a rat? He's the perfect size to stuff into the attic!"

"I am NOT SMALL!" Zelgadis protested, struggling to loosen the ropes tied around his arms and legs. "And untie me!"

"WAA!" Lina gave a loud cry of agreement from the bassinet next to him and kicking off a bootie in the process.

"See!" Zelgadis exclaimed. "Even Lina agrees with me!"

Luna turned on her heels and folded her arms in disgust. "Lina is just crying because that's the only thing babies know how to do." She turned her back and held up her hands to make a funnel over her mouth. "Buy now and get a free alarm clock!"

"WAA!" Lina continued.

"I promise you'll never worried about sleeping in late again."

Zelgadis pulled at the rope with his teeth. "When I get out of this I'm telling mom you've gone crazy!"

"Won't matter," Luna replied. "Because you and Lina will be living elsewhere before she finds out."

"Oh, really."

The ice cold words froze Luna on the spot. She paused and slowly turned around. Her mother glared while repeatedly tapping her foot with her arms folded over her chest. Her mother held the glare that her father joked could scare blood crazed mercanaries. "Luna Inverse, what on earth do you think you're doing?"

"She's gone nuts, Mom!" Zelgadis hollered. "Untie me, please!"

Lana kept her eyes on her eldest daughter. "I'm waiting for explanation, dear?"

Luna stared perplexed. "Shouldn't you be minding the shop Mom?"

Lana's eye twitched. "I was until Mr. Samson told me of you trying to sell your brother and sister." She grumbled sourly. "And I was about to sell that vase we've been trying to move for the last three years."

Luna placed her hands behind her head and softly kicked a pebble on the sidewalk. "I'm not selling them."

Lana raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I'm renting them out, it's way more profitable." She snapped her fingers. "You and Papa are always telling us we need good business sense."

A vein throbbed in Lana's forehead and she sighed deeply. "Luna Inverse, you are old enough to know this is not what we meant."

Zelgadis sighed depressed, staring hopelessly at his ropes. "I'm not getting untied anytime soon am I? I wonder if this is what Papa calls a cat fight?"

"I'm just earning money so I can buy a dog," Luna mumbled.

Lana blinked. "A dog?"

Luna scowled. "Sure, since you and Papa aren't going to buy me one, even though you promised I could have one for my birthday."

Lana scratched her cheek with her finger uncomfortably. "Yes, I remember, but that was before we knew little Lina would be coming."

Luna scoffed. "It's bad enough to have a little pain in the butt brother-"

"Hey!" Zelgadis protested along with Lina giving another loud cry.

"But then you had to give me a sister who cries loud enough to wake the dead."

Lana expression softened and she knelt to be eye level with Luna. "I know you're disappointed," she said patting Luna's arm. "Life is like that sometimes. However, that doesn't mean you can treat your little brother and sister this way."

Zelgadis lay on his back, relieved to hear common sense.

Luna smirked and gave a cocky smile. "Why? I am their big sister."

Lana smiled cheerfully back. "It's because they don't belong to you. They and you belong to me and your father so if anyone is going to be selling them IT WILL BE US."

Luna paled slightly. Zelgadis blinked and slowly turned to Lina who was currently flexing her toes and sucking her thumb. "Just so you know, you were born into a weird family."

Lina continued to suck her thumb, wondering when she would be fed again.


	3. The Cure To A Cold

The attic was much colder than Zelgadis had anticipated. He wrapped a second blanket around himself to make a cocoon around himself. Only his eyes and a pair of hands peeked out from the bundle. He had seated himself next to the trunk that held his mother's old spell books.

Zelgadis would have preferred his own adventure novels in his room to read, but he had had to travel light to make his escape. He sniffled and turned the pages of his books and reached for the handkerchief he had taken with him. Zelgadis found that the blankets did make it difficult to wipe his dripping nose, but it was well worth the tranquility.

"She won't find me in here," he muttered out loud. "I'm safe."

A creak came from the trap door. Zelgadis froze as he heard movement. The footsteps were too heavy to be his enemy's. His blood froze as he realized who it was. He instantly dove forward to hide behind the trunk but became tangled in the blankets. He scrambled to disentangle his legs, but proved to be too late as his father's head appeared through the door.

Raulf's gaze fell and locked onto Zelgadis as the boy desperately wiggled to escape. "There you are," Raulf said as he climbed up. He slouched to protect his head from hitting the roof beams. "What are you doing in here?"

"Reading," Zelgadis replied sourly. "I've been doing it since I was five."

Raulf sighed. "Yes, but your mother gave strict orders that you were to stay in bed as long as you had that cold." He clapped his hands. "Come on, let's get you back into your room."

Zelgadis furiously shook his head. "I'm staying right here."

Raulf raised an eyebrow. Zelgadis was stubborn, but most of the time he did what he was told. "Sorry, kiddo, wish I could, but I'll be the one to get in trouble when Mom gets home. So, you need to get your butt back into bed."

Zelgadis flung himself forward so he could sit up properly. The blankets still made it hard to move around, but he would prove his point. "I'm staying right here and you can't make me."

As the words left his mouth, Zelgadis knew he was in trouble. His father was laid back and it took a lot to ruffle his feathers, but he had a glare. It wasn't the same glare his mother would give that could freeze water, but it was a fierce glare all the same. Zelgadis theroized he had developed it during his mercenary days because it seemed similar to a swordsman right before going into battle.

Raulf kept his stoic expression and leaned forward. "Son, I'm about to teach you an important lesson here."

Zelgadis sweated, but he wasn't sure if it was due his nerves or fever. "What's that?"

Raulf pounched forward and scooped up Zelgadis, blankets and all. Zelgadis squirmed as he was flung over his father's shoulder. Raulf patted his head. "In battle, size doesn't matter when you're tied up like a fish in a net."

"Dad, put me down!" Zelgadis screamed as Raulf carried him down the ladder, wiggling with every ounce of his being strength.

Raulf sighed, shaking his head. "Zel, what has gotten into you? You're usually a good patient."

Zelgadis freed his arms and tried to push himself off Raulf's shoulder. "Dad, you don't understand. She'll find me!"

Raulf halted in the middle of the hallway and lifted his son off his shoulder so they were eye to eye. "Who will find you?"

"There you are!"

Zelgadis paled at the high cheery voice. "Crud, she's here."

Raulf blinked in confusion as his youngest daughter sharping turned from the kitchen. "Zel, where have you been? I have a new cure for you." She held out a bowl that was filled to the brim with a slimy green liquid. "You need to taste it now."

Raulf knelt as he kept a firm grip on Zelgadis. "Lina-chan, what is this?"

Lina grinned as she held the bowl above her head. "It's a combination of eggplant, beans, onions and some green stuff I found at the back of the cupboard. I'm sure this will get rid of Big Brother's cold."

"This is why I was hiding Dad, she's been trying to cure me all day!" Zelgadis moaned in pain from the memory of the last cure. "The last thing she made me drink nearly killed me."

Raulf raised an eyebrow at the exaggeration, although he had doubts that the concoction Lina had would make Zelgadis feel any better. Still, it was surprising, Lina wasn't normally this thoughtful when it came to her older brother and sister. He coughed and patted Lina on the head. He didn't want to discourage her, but Zelgadis's health lay on the line.

"Lina honey, you are being very nice trying to help your brother-"

Lina beamed and some of the slimy soup spilled on the floor. "I know, and once this cure works I can sell it and make a lot of money!"

There was the little Lina he raised. _I should have known. _Raulf thought. "Regardless, you need to leave matters like this to your mother, you wouldn't want to accidently make Zel sicker do you?"

"Why are you talking as if that didn't happen yet!" Zelgadis argued, but was silenced as Raulf gave him a glare.

Lina pouted and stared into the bowl. "But I think this time it would work for sure."

"And do you want to be the one to tell Momma if it doesn't and makes Zel worse?"

Lina paled. Lana could be scary when she was angry. She sighed in defeat. "Okay, Papa."

Raulf smiled and rose to his feet. "Good girl, now go clean the kitchen." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "By the way Lina, where did you get those vegetables?"

Lina tilted her head. "What do you mean where, Papa? I got them from the garden behind our house."

Raulf paused, pursing his lips. "By garden, do you mean the one that Luna's been growing to try to sell at the market?"

Before Lina could open her mouth, a loud, chilling scream rang out. "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY GARDEN?"

"I think that answers your question Dad," Zelgadis replied as he raised his head. The kitchen door flew open and Lina dashed behind Raulf's legs for protection.

Growls filled the air as Luna ran into the hall and her gaze landed on Lina. "Lina! How could you? Do you know how long it took me to grow those vegetables?"

"I-it wasn't me!" Lina stammered, trying to dig her head into the back of Raulf's knee.

"Yeah right, your foot prints are everywhere!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Sorry isn't going to bring back-"

"Enough!" Raulf hollered to bring back control. The girls froze as Raulf massaged his forehead. "Alright, I am now taking control." He looked to Lina first. "You and Luna are going to go into the kitchen and clean up the mess I'm sure is there."

"That's not fair," Luna protested.

Raulf reached into his pocket and flicked a silver coin towards Luna who caught it in midair. "After that, take that money to buy new seeds and Lina will help you replant them." He glanced back. "And you will also leave your brother alone while he's still sick, right Lina?"

"Yes, Papa," Lina nodded as she slowly walked to Luna's side.

"Good, we'll talk about this again when you're mother is home, until then, go get that done."

Luna mumbled "All that time wasted" as Lina followed her into the kitchen. Zelgadis peeked over Raulf's shoulder as he was carried back to his room. "Dad, why are women crazy?"

"They're not crazy," Raulf replied kicking the door to Zelgadis's room open. "It's just that women can be strong willed." Raulf plopped Zelgadis on the bed and untangled him from his blanket net.

Zelgadis rotated his newly freed arms. "Well, I'm never getting married and I'm never going to have daughters."

Raulf laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "Truth be told, just about every boy says that at your age, but most change their opinion around 12 or 13."

Zelgadis blinked baffled as Raulf pulled back the blanket. "Why's that dad?"

Raulf chuckled. "Let's just say that's when most boys realize how pretty girls are."

Zelgadis crawled to his pillow and let his father tuck him in. "That makes no sense."

Raulf finished tucking in Zelgadis's blankets and patted his head. "It will, trust me, now get some sleep. I'll be in the kitchen checking that your sisters don't kill each other if you need me."

Zelgadis nodded as Raulf shut the door. He snuggled into the cool side of his pillow and shut his eyes.

"Lina, that is not how you clean the floor!"

"Is too! This rag is soaking everything up."

"What rag-WAIT? IS THAT MY APRON?"

Zelgadis moaned and proceeded to bury his head under his pillows, once again trying to understand why girls were insane.


	4. Only Sisters Can Tease

They walked in silence. Lina lagged behind Zelgadis as he refused to look back to her. The dread inside Lina twisted and made her fell like her head was going to explode.

The fact of the matter was, she was in deep trouble and her fate lay in Zelgadis's hands. Lina didn't even bother to go stare into the bakery window as they passed it like they normally did walking home from school. She didn't dare risk it.

Lina glanced at the town's clock tower. It was late afternoon, so their parents would not be home for another two hours. There was still a tiny chance of convincing Zel to not inform them of what happened at school. Papa would be forgiving, but Mama... She shivered. No, Mama was certain to punish Lina by having her work cleaning the store's shop again like last time.

Her skin still crawled from the last encounter of finding the spiders and slugs while cleaning. Remembering the loud screams and nightmares she had from last time, Lina cleared her throat.

"Zel, you still mad?"

Zelgadis halted in mid step. He slowly turned carrying the same scowl they had left the school with. "What do you think?"

Lina sighed. "Come on, bro! It's not that big of a deal."

Zelgadis twitched. "You call setting Chris's hair on fire not a big deal?"

Lina shrugged her shoulders. "He has the longest hair in class, it will grow back." She rested her hands behind her back and kicked a stone in the street. "Besides, I thought you found him annoying."

Zelgadis grip tightened on his bag of spell books. "He's annoying because he's a spoiled big mouth. You're lucky that he and his dumb friends didn't see you!" He threw his hands up in the air. "You're my sister, if he knew it was you he would be demanding I make up for it by doing his homework or something." His eyes narrowed. "Or worse his parents might force mom and dad to compensate."

Lina's stomach lurched. Crud, that thought hadn't even occurred to her.

Zelgadis rubbed his eyes. "You've barely been at the sorcery academy for a month and you've already risked getting expelled."

Lina rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating, that wouldn't have happened."

Zelgadis buried his face into his hands, letting his bag drag in the dirt. "Just tell me what on earth made you do that?"

Lina opened and closed her mouth. No, she couldn't tell him, even though it was basically Zelgadis's fault. If he wasn't her brother she wouldn't have been duty bound to do what she did.

The memory was still crystal clear. She was walking down the hall, heading toward the entryway to meet Zelgadis when she heard obnoxious Chris talking to his cronies.

They were sitting around in one of the classrooms and any other day Lina would have barely bat an eyelash, but she caught the end of his last sentence.

"I mean, it makes so much sense, right?" Chris was saying, while swinging his legs over the desk he was sitting at. "Zelgadis is a bastard child who even his birth mother didn't want. How could he be getting better grades than me."

Lina paused in mid step. Lately, she'd been trying to think of the consequences before she acted. Her mother had engrained that into her head before she started school and she'd been doing well. However, there were three things that would set Lina's mental rage meter off.

One, a person kicking a helpless animal. Two, a rude comment about Lina's appearance. Three, anyone that dared insult her family, especially her brother and sister. Only she was allowed to have that privilege.

Before Lina realized it, she had finished the spell and tossed a flare arrow. The worst part was she wasn't even allowed to enjoy watching Chris and his friends scream like maniacs.

There was a sharp yank on her arm and looked to Zelgadis. "Run," was all he said before he forced Lina to run out of the school at top speed. Zelgadis didn't dare stop until they were halfway home and didn't even look at her until now.

Lina chewed her bottom lip. It was clear Zelgadis hadn't heard what Chris had said and she didn't want to watch his face while he heard those words repeated.

Zelgadis tapped his foot impatiently. "Well, are you going to tell me?"

Lina scratched her cheek. "Um, he was just saying how small I was for my age."

Zelgadis rolled his hand. "And?"

Lina shrugged. "There's no and, that was it."

Zelgadis gaped and slouched forward in defeat. "Good grief, and I thought you were actually starting to be mature."

Lina sweated as she folded her hands together. "You're not really going to tell Mom and Dad are you?"

Zelgadis sighed, folding his arms. "Well-"

"Please don't!" Lina begged, as she hugged him around his waist. "Please, please please! I'll do anything you want, just please don't tell them! I don't want to face those slugs again!"

Lina stared up with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could make knowing they were her brother's weakness. Zelgadis stiffened at her expression, closed his eyes and patted her head in defeat. "Clean my room for a week, and I'll call it even."

"Yay!" Lina cheered, hugging Zelgadis even tighter. "You're the best big brother ever!"

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled as he freed himself from Lina's hold and tossed his bag over his shoulder. "Let's just get home before Luna starts wondering why we're late. You know she wouldn't be as forgiving"

Lina nodded and quickly picked up her pace. She didn't are what anyone thought, Zelgadis was her brother and no one was allowed to pick on him besides her and Luna.


	5. Kids Grow Up Fast

**Kids Grow Up Fast**

Zelgadis inspected his newly sharpened sword and grinned in satisfaction. "Perfect," he muttered under his breath.

"Son, where are you?" Raulf called.

Zelgadis re-sheathed his sword and tucked the wet stone back onto it's home on the shelf. "I'm in the shed, Dad!"

The shed door opened and Raulf leaned against the door frame. "What are you doing in here?"

"I'm getting my sword ready for the trip," Zelgadis replied with a smirk. "You always say a dull sword is a useless one."

Raulf chuckled. "I recall that, yes." He sighed as he moved to let Zelgadis out. "Your Mom says dinner will be ready in another hour."

Zelgadis turned and folded his arms. "Why is Mom so late with dinner tonight?"

Raulf raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think? It's your and Lina's last dinner before you go start adventuring. She's making all your favourites."

Zelgadis blushed. "She doesn't have to do that."

Raulf patted his shoulder. "Just let her, besides you won't be getting too many home cooked meals once you and Lina are on the road." He frowned and folded his arms. "You sure you want to go? I know Lina's been eager to travel since she could talk, but there's nothing wrong with you studying at the academy too."

Zelgadis shook his head. He knew what his father was saying. Zelgadis could easily spend his days at the sorcerer's academy. Some of his professors were disappointed when he told them he would no longer be attending.

"If I don't go with Lina now, I probably never will. I need to see the world at some point." He smirked. "Besides, if I don't go, who will watch Lina?"

Raulf laughed. "Your sister is quite capable of taking care of herself, she gets it from your mother."

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. "Dad, I wasn't talking about protecting Lina, I was talking about protecting the world from Lina."

Raulf blinked and grasped his chin. "Ah, good point. She does have your mother's temper." He began to go up to paved path that lead to the house. "Come on, let's go make sure your sister isn't getting carried away with her packing."

Zelgadis grabbed Raulf's shoulder, forcing him to pause in midstep. He tilted his head. "Actually Dad, if you don't mind I wanted to have one last sparring session with you."

Raulf removed the blade of grass he'd been chewing. "Oh, really? You're dying for one more defeat at the hands of your old man."

"Hardly," Zelgadis replied as he moved to the center of the yard. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeves this time."

Raulf kept his grin as he reached for his sword. Once Zelgadis unsheathed his, both men stood motionless. They stared hard at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Raulf decided to attack first.

Their swords clashed. Raulf attempted to push Zelgadis back and repeatedly slammed his blade. Zelgadis grunted, but managed to keep his feet planted in the ground. It was an old trick of his father's, since he'd always been bigger in size than Zelgadis.

"Not this time," Zelgadis muttered. He ducked and rolled away from Raulf. He then rose, spun around and with a loud cry attacked the larger man.

Raulf was startled, but managed to block in time and held his ground. Zelgadis desperately tried to push him back, but his father smirked and held his own.

"Sorry, Son," he replied. "You're still too young to take me on."

Zelgadis grinned back and suddenly stepped back. Raulf raised an eyebrow. Was Zelgadis surrendering? That wasn't like him.

He then heard Zelgadis mutter an incantation under his breath and shouted "Astral Vine!" Suddenly, Zelgadis's sword glowed brightly.

Raulf stared wide eyed and gave an opening for Zegadis to strike. He charged forward and raised his sword.

The glowing blade cut right through Raulf's blade. He stumbled backwards and tumbled to the grass and stared up at Zelgadis in shock. Zelgadis panted heavily as the glow on his blade died down. He then joined his father and laid next to him on the grass.

Raulf scowled. "Mind telling me where you learned that little trick, Son?"

Zelgadis panted, savoring in the victory. "I got the idea from your trick with your fishing pole." He held his sword up. "I had to do a bit of research at the library to do my own version, but I would say it was worth the effort."

"Maybe," Raulf grumbled. "But you still owe me a new sword, kiddo" Raulf sighed and stared at the remains of the broken blade. He shook his head. "So, my son is now old enough to beat me?" He rose and leaned against his knees. He stared at Zelgadis with a smile and his eyes shone brightly.

Zelgadis blushed, feeling a little awkward. "What? Are you that mad?"

"Not in the least," Raulf admitted. "I'm just feeling like it was only yesterday, I was changing your diapers and giving Lina her bottle."

"Dad!" Zelgadis protested leaping to his feet, his face as red as a tomato. "Why would you bring something like that up?"

Raulf laughed and ruffled Zelgadis's hair. "I'm an old man, I'm allowed to feel nostalgic." He gave a warm smile. "You two just make sure to care of yourselves."

"Yeah, I know." Zelgadis brushed his hair back into place, still blushing slightly. How was it that parents could always manage to make you feel like a little kid?

"Hey!" Luna called with her head out of the window. "Mom says she wants you two to give her a hand in the kitchen."

"Duty calls," Raulf replied as he wrapped his arm around Zelgadis's shoulders and led him back to the house. "Come on, I'm dying to eat as soon as possible."

Zelgadis nodded and let his thoughts drift to the road and the new adventure that awaited for both him and Lina. _It should be fun, as long as she doesn't get me killed in the process_ he thought.


	6. Rumours

**Rumours**

Lina laughed manically as she shook her money purse. "I love the sound of fresh coins after a good raid." She tucked her purse away and began to tackle the ham in front of her. "Although, I do wish that bandit camp had better loot." She stuffed the slice of ham into her mouth. "The ones in the mountains were at least holding some gems."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Zelgadis sighed as he sipped his tea and cut into his piece of ham. "Besides that, don't you think you're overdoing it?"

Lina swallowed and reached out to steal Zelgadi's slice of bread. "Hey, relax, I'm not going to get hurt. I'm a professional."

"That's not what I mean," Zelgadis blocked Lina with his bread knife and buttered his bread. "Attacking a bandit camp is one thing, but you're literally burning them and their camp to the ground."

Lina scoffed and pushed back her chair. "So? They're bandits, therefore they're evil and therefore they should be punished."

"By having you steal from them?" Zelgadis added as he bit into his bread.

"Of course!"

Zelgadis shook his head. "Fine, but you might want to cool down on how you do it. If you're not careful, some nasty rumours are going to start about you."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Rumours?"

"The bandits that escaped are bound to spread the word of the frightening girl that attacked their camp." He leaned across the table. "And you know what Mom always says. 'It only takes one person to start a rumour'."

Lina rolled her eyes. "You worry too much, besides if a rumour starts it will be about what a great hero I'm becoming."

Zelgadis folded his arms and stared skeptically. "Yeah, right."

"I'll prove it." She waved her fork into the air. "Hey! Waiter!"

The waiter grumbled and came over, prepared to take on another heavy order of food. "Yes, Miss?"

"Have you heard any rumours about a girl named Lina Inverse?"

The waiter blinked and stroked his beard. "Lina Inverse?" He muttered to himself and then slapped his fist into his hand. "Oh, her. She's supposed to be a powerful sorceress."

Lina grinned smugly back at Zelgadis. "See!"

"But she's really an evil demon in disguise!"

Lina caught herself before she stumbled out of her chair. "You don't say?" Zelgadis said as he suppressed his laughter. "Is there anything else?"

The waiter glanced side to side as if the supposed Inverse demon would appear by just saying the name. "They've recently nicknamed her the dragon spooker, apparently even dragons cringe at the sight of her."

Lina bent her fork and Zelgadis could hear the nasty words she was muttering. "That is a fitting name for her."

Lina glared and whirled around in her seat. "What about her partner? I heard she's not travelling alone? What are they saying about him?"

The waiter was startled by the urgency in the question. "Um...yes, there are rumours about her partner."

_Aha! Payback! _ Lina thought in triumph. "Aaaand?"

The waiter cleared his throat. "He's a sorcerer, but also a deadly swordsman." He cleaned his hands on his apron. "In fact, some are calling him a heartless sorcerer swordsman." A call was shouted from the kitchen in the back. "I'm sorry, but I have to go." The waiter gave a quick bow and left.

Lina smiled, glowing in her victory. "Looks like I'm not the only one who has to watch my actions, eh big brother?"

Zelgadis remained emotionless as he processed the name. "Heartless sorcerer swordsman," he muttered quietly before smirking. "I like the sound of that."

Lina choked. "Are you serious?"

"It's better than dragon spooker."

Lina growled and decided it was better to tackle her mashed potatoes rather than admit he was right.


End file.
